NLC Slams Slow Rollout Of Employees’ Compensation Act, Urges Swift Reforms For Worker Safety

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has voiced strong dissatisfaction over delays in implementing the Employees’ Compensation Act, urging the government to standardize processes and ease the burden of workplace injuries.

Comrade Aliyu Haruna, National Treasurer of the NLC, shared these concerns in a paper presentation titled “A Critical Assessment of the Employees’ Compensation Act (ECA) 2010” at the NSITF-NECA Safe Workplace Intervention Project (SWIP) interactive forum and awards ceremony in Lagos on Tuesday, January 20, 2026.

Haruna hailed the Act as a “landmark reform” that modernized worker protections, supplanting the outdated 1987 Workmen’s Compensation Act with comprehensive coverage for injuries, occupational diseases, death benefits, medical rehabilitation, and safer workplaces—all managed by the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF).

Under the ECA, employers in both public and private sectors must register and contribute based on payroll, extending to informal workers, with simplified claims processes to bypass protracted court disputes.Haruna pointed to successes such as defined timelines for injury reporting and appeals, plus a focus on rehabilitation to help injured workers return to productive roles.

Yet, the NLC Treasurer spotlighted persistent challenges: widespread low awareness among workers—particularly in public sectors, local governments, and informal economies—resulting in unclaimed benefits.

NSITF data, he stated shows only 11 states, including Lagos, Akwa Ibom, Kano, Plateau, Abia, Rivers, Sokoto, Delta, Bauchi, Oyo, and Yobe, that have enrolled or committed to action, exposing massive coverage gaps.

He added that”Bureaucratic delays cripple NSITF operations through understaffing, inadequate infrastructure, and sluggish claim processing, leaving beneficiaries in despair. Irregular employer remittances, feeble penalties, and non-compliance worsen funding shortfalls.

“Coverage gaps devastate informal, contract, gig, and remote workers, while shoddy data systems and employer interference block claims. Workers dread reprisals, grapple with convoluted procedures, and suffer from lax enforcement,” he stated.

The Treasurer advocated multi-stakeholder solutions: ramped-up awareness drives through media, unions, and workshops; NSITF digitization with regional offices to slash delays; rigorous audits, harsher penalties, and prosecutions for violators; broader inclusion for new work models; dedicated rehabilitation partnerships; and universal adoption by states and local governments.

“Trade unions must spearhead awareness, training, data-backed advocacy, joint NSITF inspections, and legal support.”With collective commitment from government, employers, unions, and workers, the ECA can deliver dignity and justice,” he affirmed.

The forum highlighted persistent pushes for safer Nigerian workplaces amid escalating labor demands.